ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

We are proud to present our seventh CD "The Elements" ! This CD contains 16 bran dnew Tierra Negra songs. Guitars are with two exceptions the only instruments which you can hear on this album. Its rhythmical, passionate but also contemplative and relaxing acoustic guitar music.

T i e r r a N e g r a guitar musicPlease scroll down the menu for more details about the life of Tierra Negra

TIERRA NEGRA`s music covers a wide spectrum of emotions and takes the listener to the hot climate of Southern France and Spain.

Both guitarist spend a lot of time in the Camargue, Southern France, and in Spain, which inspires their music. The Camargue is the part of France, where the Gipsy Kings originally came from.

Please scroll down the menu for more details about the life of Tierra Negra.

The Elements

The past ten years we have traveled to places in Spain and France many times searching for new impressions and inspiration for our music. All these places had in common that they were located in the heart of nature, often far away from civilisation. The voices of the animals, the sound of the wind in the trees, sounds of water, the smell of herbs and flowers create an atmosphere that we require to compose our music. We want to dedicate this CD to the effect that nature has on our mind and on our senses and also to the force of the four elements, to the wilderness and the water, to the wind and to the sun.

Guitars are, with two exceptions, the only instruments which you can hear on this CD. We used a variety of guitars from different musical backgrounds and countries, played with their individual sound character and arranged them together.

Trackinfo1) Junto Al Mar

2) Rastafa MariachiLeo: I had the basic rhythmic idea for this song in the autumn of 2005, but left it in my scetch book. I remembered the riff about a year later one night. I opened a bottle of red wine and started recording. After less than four hours the song was completely arranged and recorded. I used my empty wine glass for the slide solo.

3) Watching The BlazeRaughi: Sitting by a campfire and watching the burning wood.

4) Tu Es LibreLeo: This is the instrumental version of the song. There is a charming second version with vocals that we made together with DJ and producer Ohm-G from Ibiza.

5) Offshore Wind Raughi: The offshore wind, the mistral, is a guarantee for sunshine in the Camargue. It starts every day almost at the same time and after a little while there is only blue sky.

6) Song For The TwinsLeo: This is another song that I composed, arranged and recorded in only one night. From the very first moment I heard the complete arrangement inside of my head and didn`t change it in the recording process. I dedicate this song to my dear friends, the Bela Russian acrobats Marina & Svetlana Tsodikovi, Twins Antipodi. I deeply admire the elegance, passion, beauty and the high perfection of their artistry.

7) Road To PhoenixLeo: While we were driving on the road to Phoenix we realized that the air conditioning of the car was broken. Being in the middle of a desert with an outside temperature of more than 40 degrees celsius a broken AC means no fun at all. We pushed the AC button on and off. Off and on. Nothing happened. We opened the windows, but there was only hot air streaming into the car. We tried to set the fan on the highest level and decided to believe that heavily blown hot air feels cool. It really doesn`t actually.

8) Templo Del MarRaughi: Ruins of an antique temple sunken to the bottom of the sea. From a boat you can see the columns on the ground when the ocean is quiet.

9) Hommage A Manitas Raughi:This song is an hommage to the great guitar virtuoso Manitas de Plata. The typical sound of his guitar, his sense of rhythm and his original compositions have accompanied me since my early childhood. The honesty in his art touches me deep inside. I have listened to his music over and over and seen him many times in concert. For this song I tried to capture the sound of the 60s tube radios or old vinyl records in the studio. It is a true mono recording, all the high frequencies are cut off. There is the crackling noise of a dusty needle of a record player at the beginning and at the end of the song. The CD is not broken!

10) Ripples From The RainLeo: I remember the moment when I had the idea for this song. It was a very cloudy day and I was looking out of my window. It slowly started to rain and the first raindrops fell on the surface of the lake in front of me. I love the rain.

11) Cerca De Ti

12) ZephyrLeo: In the greek mythology Zephyr is the god of the west wind. He is the son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Zephyr is responsible for spring and fertility. It is said that he was able to impregnate women simply with his breath... Zephyr is also the name of the lapsteel guitar which I played in this song. I love the wide and mellow sound of this instrument.

13) El AcuarioRaughi: Although Aquarius isn`t a striking constellation of the zodiac it is regarded as one of the earliest known constellations. It must have had an important meaning in the calendar of the people in the antique. It marks the beginning of the rain season, when the sun passes through the Aquarius constellation. This might also be the origin of the name. Other constellations in the neighbourhood of Aquarius, like Fish, Whale and Dolphin also have water related names.

14) North And South

15) La BrisaRaughi: The summer breeze is blowing through the window...

16) The PaintingLeo: One night I dreamed that I was walking inside a painting of Paul Klee. It was an extremly realistic dream and a bizarr experience to find myself surrounded by a expressionistic scenery. Landscape, buildings and trees in watercolors had abstract shapes which are typical for Paul Klee. I walked on a promenade along the sea and entered a peer. Then I left the visible, framed part of the painting.

Band history

TIERRA NEGRA was founded by two German guitarrists Leo Henrichs and Raughi Ebert 1997. Soon, in their early days of existing as a band, they received an invitation from the famous canadian DJ and soundtrack composer Ramachandra Borcar (www.ramasutra.com) to do a little club tour in Montreal, Canada. DJ Ram happened to be Raughi’s half brother of Raughi he never knew he had before. Until the day they coincidentally found out about it! Such a drama that ended happy-ending! Ram decided to come to Germany and the two half brothers met for the first time in their lives... During his stay, he attended several live performances of TIERRA NEGRA. Ram was very impressed and that became one of the reasons for the invitation. Two months later, Raughi and Leo flew to Montreal. Their first show took place on the terrace at a club called "di salvio" on the Rue Saint Laurent in Montreal. Terribly nervous, they played their asses off and the audience loved them! Apparently both, their music AND their asses! Right after the show, a man came up and introduced himself to them as the junior president of madacy entertainment group, a big independent record company. He proposed to sign TIERRA NEGRA on his label. After meeting him a second time, contracts were negotiated and signed. Three and a half months later, TIERRA NEGRA’s debut album "furia flamenca" emerged on the German market. Things went fast and after releasing the debut CDs in several European countries, Canada and USA followed. TIERRA NEGRA returned to Canada in 1998 and 1999 to do several in-store promotions at HMV along with club concerts in Montreal. Their second album "para ti - flamenco nuevo" was released in 1999 in Germany, followed by Canada in 2000. At the same year, TIERRA NEGRA did the opening of the RAMASUTRA shows in Montreal. It was such a successful performance that words got around and TIERRA NEGRA received an invitation to play at the FESTIVAL DE ETE DE QUEBEC. They gave their own concerts at the festival and were honored to perform together with Bob Brozman, Ganesh Anandan and DJ RAM. Still at the very same summer, TIERRA NEGRA flew to the US following an invitation of a befriended musician to perform at the Sedona Guitar Festival in Arizona. This time, they also shared the stage with Stanley Jordan and Peppino D..Agostino. 2000 was also the year in which Raughi and Leo invented the TIERRA NEGRA guitar, handcrafted by a spanish luthier and introduced it at the Frankfurt Musikmesse the following year. In 2002 TIERRA NEGRA decided to set up their own record company “TIERRA NEGRA Records” and to go “the indie way”. It turned out to be very a good decision as they soon after successfully released their third album "clouds in the sky". Their fourth album "turn of the tide" was released in 2004 and a year later in August (?) 2005 their fans enjoyed the release of their fifth album:"el sonido del sur". The legendary GIPSY KINGS signed the agreement to become for the TIERRA NEGRA guitar endorser in that very same year." mediterranean guitar lounge Vol 1.", a compilation of their works, were released in 2006.TIERRA NEGRA celebrates their 10th years anniversary in 2007! To this special occasion, they have been working on their seventh album"The Elements" which will be released in November 2007.

If you like to read more information about TIERRA NEGRA and to listen to more sound examples please feel invited to visit our english website:

Tierra Negra has designed their own signature guitar model. It is a totally handcrafted high quality flamenco guitar build by a spanish luthier. For more details about the guitar please visit the TIERRA NEGRA webshop or send an email to info@tierranegra.de

In July 2004, the GIPSY KINGS flew to Germany to play life at big a German TV show. Because their own instruments were stuck at the German customs, their manager called TIERRA NEGRA to borrow 8 guitars for this tv programm on the same day. When the guitars arrived at the venue the GIPSY KINGS immediatly started to make session with our instruments and didn`t stop until the beginning of their tv broadcasting. During the show the GIPSY KINGS manager called us and told us that the band loves the sound and the quality of the TIERRA NEGRA guitars. He asked for a meeting with us and the band. It was great fun for us to meet the guys, to have dinner with them, to talk and to play with them. After our meeting the GIPSY KINGS offered TIERRA NEGRA to endorse the TIERRA NEGRA guitar world wide!!!

THE TIERRA NEGRA FLAMENCO GUITARIn cooperation with a Spanish luthier the artists of TIERRA NEGRA - Raughi Ebert and Leo Henrichs - have designed a flamenco guitar ñ the TIERRA NEGRA guitar - that defines a new standard of quality in the modern world of professional flamenco guitars. Their experiences as professional musicians from many years touring and studio works melt together with the big knowledge of many generations being involved in the Spanish art of lutherie.The TIERRA NEGRA guitar is a high quality instrument equally appropriate for live performances or studio sessions. The fully handcrafted guitar is made from hand selected solid wood. The instrument is extremely comfortable to play and satisfies the high requirements of professional musicians. Sound wise the guitar is ideally suited for flamenco and even jazz and pop music. It has a delicate warm and light sound with rich basses and clear trebles.The GIPSY KINGS liked the TIERRA NEGRA guitar so much, that they immediately signed a world wide exclusive endorsement contract with the TIERRA NEGRA company. "The TIERRA NEGRA flamenco guitar is the best instrument that we have ever got the chance to work with", says GIPSY KINGS lead guitarist TONINO BALLIARDO proudly. "I love the sound and it is a pleasure to play on such a comfortable instrument!"

But also among more traditional flamenco players as ANTONIO ANDRADE, the TIERRA NEGRA guitar is highly recommended for the use as a solo instrument and for dance accompaniment. "I use the same TIERRA NEGRA guitar doing my solo performances and working with my dance company. The variety of the sounds that you can create on this instrument is amazing", says ANTONIO ANDRADE enthusiastically.Each instrument is numbered and signed by TIERRA NEGRA on the lable. Each guitar is unique and comes with a luxury case.

Watch the GIPSY KINGS performing live on the TIERRA NEGRA guitar on the new GIPSY KINGS DVD "Live at Kenwoodhouse" or listen to the TIERRA NEGRA guitar used on the new TIERRA NEGRA CD "El sonido del sur" or at www.tierranegra.de

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